Arthur Arnold is a Dutch-Canadian conductor whose work is defined by deep musical connection, artistic integrity, and a belief in music as a communal and ethical act. His career bridges international orchestral leadership, repertoire rediscovery, and long-term community engagement, bringing together artistic excellence and human connection on and off the podium. At the heart of Arnold’s work is the conviction that music gains its greatest power through trust, mutual support, and shared joy.

From 2012 to 2022, Arnold served as Music Director of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, leading the orchestra in major symphonic repertoire, international touring, and recordings. In March 2022, he resigned from the position in protest of the war in Ukraine, a decision reflecting his belief that music does not exist in isolation from moral responsibility.

Alongside the core symphonic repertoire, Arnold is internationally recognized for his advocacy of forgotten and suppressed music. Through The Mosolov Project, he is restoring the legacy of Alexander Mosolov, a pioneering Soviet avant-garde composer silenced by political repression. Arnold uncovered long-lost manuscripts in Russian archives and is bringing these works back to life, allowing a suppressed artistic voice to be heard again.

Arnold is co-founder and Artistic Director of the Pacific Region International Summer Music Association (PRISMA Festival & Academy) in British Columbia, Canada. Under his leadership, PRISMA has become an internationally respected summer programme, welcoming advanced students from leading conservatories and faculty from top orchestras, while remaining deeply rooted in its local community. His work in Powell River was featured in a 2025 documentary broadcast on CBC Radio’s The Current, exploring his philosophy of music-making, community leadership, and cultural impact.

Since 2016, this philosophy has found a profound expression in Arnold’s sustained artistic collaboration with the Tla’amin Nation on Canada’s west coast. Through a relationship built on respect, continuity, and dialogue, Tla’amin Singers and Drummers perform alongside the orchestra in works that bring Indigenous and Western classical traditions into meaningful artistic relationship. This partnership has become a defining element of Arnold’s artistic identity and of the PRISMA Festival’s cultural presence.
Known for fostering rehearsal environments built on safety, trust, and shared responsibility, Arnold believes that technical excellence serves music best when it enables human connection, artistic freedom, and shared emotion, and that the strongest performances arise when musicians feel supported to take artistic risks rather than only striving for perfection.

Earlier in his career, Arnold served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Seoul National Symphony Orchestra (1997–2001), Principal Guest Conductor of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra (2001–2012), and as Music Director of the Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific (2004–2011). He studied conducting with Anton Kersjes and Hans Vonk, and received additional training from Marcello Viotti, Jean Fournet, and Graeme Jenkins. He studied at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena (Italy) with Myung-Whun Chung and Gianluigi Gelmetti, and participated in international masterclasses with Jorma Panula and Diego Masson.
Based in coastal British Columbia and the Netherlands, Arthur Arnold continues to guest-conduct internationally while developing new models for how orchestras can serve their communities with relevance, depth, and integrity.